Army will reportedly begin gender treatment for Chelsea Manning

The Pentagon will reportedly begin providing rudimentary level gender treatment to Army Private Chelsea Manning following a decision by the Bureau of Prisons on Thursday to reject a plea to have the soldier transferred to a non-military facility.

Manning, 26, is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence in
Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas after being convicted last year by an
Army judge of multiple counts related to her role in sharing
classified government and military documents with the
secret-spilling site WikiLeaks.

One day after being sentenced, Chelsea — formerly Bradley —
announced that she identifies as female and would be pursuing
hormone therapy while incarcerated.

Before being found guilty of espionage and theft, among other
charges, two doctors testified during Manning’s 2013
court-martial that they had diagnosed the soldier with gender
dysphoria, or gender identity disorder. Since the Pentagon does
not traditionally provide hormone therapy, however, Manning said
she would file suit against the military if her requests for
treatment were ignored.

In May, the Associated Press reported that United States
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel approved a request from the Army
to“evaluate potential treatment options for inmates diagnosed
with gender dysphoria,” and that the Pentagon may push to
have Manning moved to a civilian prison where the treatment she
seeks is offered.

In response, Manning’s court-martial attorney, David Coombs,
fired back saying “Whether the Pentagon likes it or not,
Chelsea is a military service member and responsibility for her
falls on the military.”

“Chelsea has been asking for medical treatment from the
military for the past ten months. So far, the military has
outright ignored her requests. The military absolutely needs to
revisit its ‘policy’ on transgender medical care and adapt it to
21st century medical standards. It cannot continue to bury its
head in the sand any longer,” Coombs wrote.

On Thursday this week, a defense official speaking on condition
of anonymity told the AP that the Bureau of Prisons had rejected
the Pentagon’s attempt to move Manning, but that the soldier will
begin to receive unspecified treatments while in military
custody.

Before the Pentagon made that request to the BOP, Manning said in
a statement that she had not sought any transfer, and that
“the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, KS and the
Army Corrections Command were ready to approve and implement a
treatment plan that at least conservatively met the standards set
forth by the World Professional Association for Transgender
Health.”